New Delhi, Aug 10: The Supreme Court today said attempts to influence witnesses in ongoing cases struck at the very roots of a strong judicial system in the country.
 "There has been subversion of the judicial process. What you have pointed out is individual cases. But your action strikes at the very root of the judicial system," the apex court told former senior counsel R K Anand convicted in the BMW accident sting operation case.
 A three-judge bench of justices G S Singhvi, Aftab Alam and C K Prasad made the remarks after Anand's counsel M R Calla pleaded that Anand has already been debarred for four months from practising and stripped of his seniority.
 He pleaded the matter should be set at rest as Anand has not been appearing in courts for the last nearly one and half years.
 Counsel said Anand cannot be penalised further by way of any enhancement of punishment as even those advocates, who had accused judges of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, had been let off after extracting their apology.
 However, the argument failed to convince the bench which said Anand's case was different as he had sought to subvert the judicial process as a defence lawyer by attempting to purchase prosecution's key witness Sunil Kulkarni.
 "Did it at any time occur to you that you had done a crime. Tell us one instance by way of gesture, remorse or behaviour that you felt anguished at your behaviour," the bench said.
 Counsel remarked that Anand had admitted his mistake and already tendered an apology.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST